At the Eastern Zonal Council meeting on Saturday, Union home minister Amit Shah sought the state governments of West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Sikkim to equally share the responsibility with the Border Security Force (BSF) in protecting the international borders of the country in the region.
Chief Ministers of West Bengal and Jharkhand Mamata Banerjee and Hemant Soren, respectively, Bihar’s deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yajav and two Cabinet ministers from Odisha and Sikkim attended the meeting at Nabanna, in Howrah.
Shah underlined that the states have as much responsibility as the BSF in securing the border as the Centre takes a serious look into the matter. He also proposed an inter-state committee with representatives from Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand for smooth water sharing from dams.
Shah later held a separate meeting with Banerjee over 15 minutes at her request in her chamber, which has triggered fresh speculation about a bonhomie between them.
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